Enhanced mobile base station

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for an in-vehicle base station are described. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: permitting a mobile device to attach to the mobile base station; attaching, at the mobile base station, to a macro cell for providing backhaul to the mobile device using the mobile base station for access; receiving a first tracking area code from the macro cell; transmitting a second tracking area code to the mobile device, the second tracking area code corresponding to a tracking area managed by a coordinating node; detecting, at the mobile base station, a transition from a stationary state to a moving state of the mobile base station; and sending a tracking area update message to a core network to transition to the tracking area managed by the coordinating node.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims the benefit of anearlier filing date under 35 U.S.C. § 120 based on, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/913,618, having attorney docket no.PWS-71774US02, filed Mar. 6, 2018, and entitled “Enhanced Mobile BaseStation,” which itself is a continuation of, and claims the benefit ofan earlier filing date under 35 U.S.C. § 120 based on U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/946,749, having attorney docket no.PWS-71774US01, filed Nov. 19, 2015, and entitled “Enhanced Mobile BaseStation,” which itself claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/082,111, havingattorney docket no. PWS-71774US00, filed Nov. 19, 2014, and entitled“Enhanced Mobile Base Stations,” each of which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety for all purposes. Additionally, U.S. patentapplication Ser. Nos. 14/454,670, 14/777,246, 14/183,176, 14/864,194,14/923,392, and 14/946,129, having attorney docket numbersPWS-71727US01, PWS-71717US01, PWS-71710US01, PWS-71772US01,PWS-71787US01, and PWS-71783US01, respectively, are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entirety for all purposes. The present applicationalso hereby incorporates U.S. Pat. No. 8,867,418, “Methods ofincorporating an Ad Hoc Cellular Network into a Fixed Cellular Network,”filed Feb. 18, 2014, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,879,416, “HeterogeneousSelf-Organizing Network,” filed Jan. 3, 2014, by reference for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND

Wireless multimedia services are typically delivered through a series ofmacro base stations placed on towers or other strategic locations. Thisarchitectural layout applies to civilian and public safety networks.However, it is difficult to provide efficient, effective service tomobile base stations using the same approaches used for current macronetworks. On the public safety side, ensuring reliable coverage inhard-to-reach and remote areas has also been a major challenge.

As well, Wi-Fi access points are now commonly found mounted in vehicles.Additionally, widespread LTE technology enables high bandwidth data tobe backhauled from an access network at an in-vehicle base station.However, in-vehicle base stations are still relatively uncommon. Thepresent disclosure describes improvements to mobile base stations andin-vehicle base stations.

SUMMARY

In a first embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: at a processorconfigured to provide a cellular base station functionality, theprocessor being part of a mobile base station, the processor coupled toa first access radio for providing a cellular access network inside andoutside a vehicle, the processor further coupled to a first cellularbackhaul radio for providing a backhaul connection to a cellular networkvia a cell, the processor further coupled to a global positioning system(GPS) module for determining a location of the mobile base station:permitting a mobile device to attach to the mobile base station;attaching, at the mobile base station, to a macro cell for providingbackhaul to the mobile device using the mobile base station for access;receiving a first tracking area code from the macro cell; transmitting asecond tracking area code to the mobile device, the second tracking areacode corresponding to a tracking area managed by a coordinating node;detecting, at the mobile base station, a transition from a stationarystate to a moving state of the mobile base station; and sending atracking area update message to a core network to transition to thetracking area managed by the coordinating node.

The method may further comprise performing paging of the mobile deviceusing the second tracking area code. The method may further comprisedetecting the location of the mobile base station using the GPS module,and sending the location to the coordinating node. The method mayfurther comprise detecting a location of the mobile device based on thelocation of the mobile base station. The method may further comprisecoordinating, using a self-organizing network (SON) algorithm, ahandover between multiple tracking areas. The method may furthercomprise updating a tracking area of the mobile base station at amobility management entity (MME). The method may further compriseupdating a tracking area of the mobile device at the coordinating node,the coordinating node being situated between the mobile base station anda mobility management entity (MME). The method may further compriseupdating a tracking area of the mobile device at a mobility managemententity (MME) using the location of the mobile base station.

In a second embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium isdisclosed, the medium storing comprising instructions that, whenexecuted by one or more processors in a mobile base station, cause theone or more processors to: permit a mobile device to attach to themobile base station; attach at the mobile base station, to a macro cellfor providing backhaul to the mobile device using the mobile basestation for access; receive a first tracking area code from the macrocell; transmit a second tracking area code to the mobile device, thesecond tracking area code corresponding to a tracking area managed by acoordinating node; detect at the mobile base station, a transition froma stationary state to a moving state of the mobile base station; andsend a tracking area update message to a core network to transition tothe tracking area managed by the coordinating node.

The non-transitory computer-readable medium may further compriseinstructions that cause the one or more processors to perform paging ofthe mobile device using the second tracking area code. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium may further compriseinstructions that cause the one or more processors to detect thelocation of the mobile base station using the GPS module, and send thelocation to the coordinating node. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium may further comprise instructions that cause the one or moreprocessors to detect the location of the mobile device based on thelocation of the mobile base station. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium may further comprise instructions that causethe one or more processors to coordinate using a self-organizing network(SON) algorithm, a handover between multiple tracking areas. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium may further compriseinstructions that cause the one or more processors to update thetracking area of the mobile base station at a mobility management entity(MME). The non-transitory computer-readable medium may further compriseinstructions that cause the one or more processors to update thetracking area of the mobile device at the coordinating node, thecoordinating node being situated between the mobile base station and amobility management entity (MME). The non-transitory computer-readablemedium may further comprise instructions that cause the one or moreprocessors to update the tracking area of the mobile device at amobility management entity (MME) using the location of the mobile basestation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an in-vehicle base station inoperation, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a tracking area configuration, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting an operational method of an in-vehiclebase station, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting a tracking area sequence of operation,in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an enhanced eNodeB, in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a coordinating server, in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a system architecture diagram of an exemplary networkconfiguration, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A mobile base station may be configured to provide access to mobiledevices, such as user equipments (UEs), that use the 3GPP Long TermEvolution (LTE) protocol. Such a mobile base station may be an eNodeB(evolved nodeB). The location of the mobile base station may bedetermined using, for example, the Global Positioning System (GPS) orany other location-determining means (e.g., GLONASS, A-GPS, Wi-Fi basedlocation tracking, accelerometer and dead reckoning system, etc.). Themobile base station may be equipped with a built-in GPS or otherlocation-determining means. Based on knowledge of the location of themobile base station, various enhancements may be enabled.

The mobile base station may provide access to UEs. The mobile basestation creates a mobile radio access network (mobile RAN), which may bein a stationary position for a time, or which may be in motion while theRAN is in operation, in some embodiments. For example, a mobile RAN maybe created in a stationary vehicle or in a mobile vehicle. Where usedherein, vehicle may refer to a car, truck, van, trailer, plane, boat,drone, balloon, unmanned or manned vehicle, or any other appropriateconveyance.

Creating a Mobile RAN in Motion

In some situations, areas may exist with little or no coverage, orspecific spots may exist within a larger network with reduced or nocoverage. For example, in-building coverage may be limited or notpresent. A mobile base station mounted in a vehicle, such as a car,truck, van, drone or balloon, may be enabled to create a mobile RAN forcoverage on demand upon arrival in such areas or spots. UEs thatpreviously were not receiving good coverage may obtain service from themobile RAN. The mobile base station may use a wireless backhaulconnection to provide service to devices attached to the mobile RAN.

In some embodiments, the mobile base station may be configured to createno mobile RAN while in motion, or may be configured to create a mobileRAN only while not in motion. For example, the mobile base station maycreate a mobile RAN with an effective radius of 10 feet. The mobile RANmay use one or more measures of signal strength and signal quality, suchas RSSI, RSRQ, BLER, or another measure, received from a measurementreport from an attached UE or a nearby UE, to determine whether themobile RAN is created with the appropriate size. In some embodiments,the mobile base station may create both a mobile RAN using one protocoland a mobile hotspot using another protocol, e.g., LTE and Wi-Fi, of theappropriate size while moving.

In some embodiments, the mobile base station may determine, based on GPSlocation, or based on other connectivity with the vehicle, such as witha vehicle CAN bus or power bus, that the mobile base station is inmotion. One or more thresholds may be used to determine whether toactivate the mobile RAN and whether the mobile base station is in motionat a particular time. In some embodiments, GPS location may be monitoredto generate location data, and the location data may be used todetermine a change in location, a velocity, an acceleration, and/or aduration of motion. In some embodiments, sensor fusion may be used,either with multiple location measurements from the mobile base station,or with location measurements from the vehicle and/or attached UEs, todetermine the location of a mobile base station with greater accuracy.In other embodiments, a vehicle may communicate its velocity,acceleration, and/or the duration in motion to the mobile base station.The mobile base station may then either evaluate one or more thresholdsitself or may transmit the location-based data to a cloud coordinationserver.

In some embodiments, a threshold of 40 miles per hour (MPH) and 15seconds of motion may be used. In some embodiments, a threshold of 50feet or 100 feet of location displacement may be used. In someembodiments, a mobile base station may periodically report its location,velocity, and/or duration of motion. In some embodiments, a hysteresisparameter may be used to reduce the likelihood that motion will bedetected when the vehicle is not in motion or if the mobile base stationhas not moved to a significant extent. The hysteresis parameter may be aspeed-based parameter.

Various parameters may be adjusted based on the motion state of thevehicle, including: transmit power for Wi-Fi mesh, LTE backhaul, Wi-Fiaccess, LTE access; and also selection of a different physical cell ID(PCI) and/or automatic neighbor relations (ANR) table,differently-configured whitelists or blacklists for enabling devices toconnect or attach, and so on. PCI may be selected in such a way that thePCI of the in-vehicle base station does not coincide with the PCI of anyneighbor; this may be based on pre-configuration, or communication witha coordinating node, or deduction based on detected PCIs in the areaafter the vehicle has moved.

In operation, a vehicle equipped with such a mobile base station may bestarted up in a parking lot. At vehicle startup, the mobile base stationmay connect to a core network or to a cloud coordination server, forexample, attaching to an existing macro node, and may receiveconfiguration commands and may start broadcasting a RAN withconnectivity to the core network. Once the vehicle begins moving, themobile base station may communicate to the core network or to a cloudcoordination server that the vehicle has begun moving, based on aconfigured threshold. Motion may trigger a different mode of operationthan stationary operation. The mobile base station may stop broadcastingthe RAN. The mobile base station may also reduce the radius of theexisting RAN or may start broadcasting a new RAN.

The mobile base station may periodically inform the core network orcloud coordination server of its position and velocity, and may receiveinstructions regarding whether or not to provide a RAN and to what areait should provide a RAN. The mobile base station may report its locationperiodically based on time, or periodically based on distance traveled,or a combination of both, similar to a taxi meter.

Once the vehicle stops moving, for example, by the vehicle being parked,the mobile base station, by itself or in communication with the corenetwork or cloud coordination server, may once again begin to broadcastthe old RAN or a new RAN. The new RAN may use a different tracking areaID. All operational parameters may be monitored at the core network orcloud coordination server, including GPS coordinates, using a mobilebackhaul connection active between the mobile base station and, forexample, a macro cell connected to the core network, allowing the corenetwork or cloud coordination server to perform control operations. Insome embodiments, the core network may appropriately configure the basestation with a backhaul macro, tracking area, etc. based on the currentlocation of the mobile base station.

In some embodiments, operation in either the stationary mode and/or thein-motion mode, and/or switching between operational modes, may betriggered or based on one or more of the following inputs to the mobilebase station: receiving, from a vehicle controller or vehicle controllerarea network (CAN) bus connected to the mobile base station, an ignitionor engine turn-on indication; an engine turn-off indication; activationor deactivation of vehicle power; a value from a vehicle GPS or vehicleaccelerometer; and/or a gearshift into or out of Park. For example, whenthe ignition of a vehicle is turned on, a vehicle CAN bus may relay thisinformation to other nodes on the CAN bus, which may include the mobilebase station, and the mobile base station may enter into an stationaryoperational mode. When the vehicle is then shifted out of Park, themobile base station may receive this information and may enter into anin-motion operational mode. When the vehicle is shifted into Park, themobile base station may receive this information and may enter into thestationary operational mode.

One example of a heuristic for activating radios in motion or whenstationary is shown below, with relation to a base station with fiveradio transceivers: 1. LTE access; 2. Wi-Fi access; 3. Wi-Fi mesh; 4.LTE backhaul; 5. GPS receiver. In addition, wired Ethernet ports may beprovided for use by devices inside the vehicle.

TABLE 1 Wi-Fi LTE Wi-Fi Wired LTE UE's Mode Mesh Backhaul Access AccessAccess use Vehicle Disabled On for On for On Disabled UE in communi-devices to prevent uses motion cations to inside interfering accesscoordinat- vehicle with Wi-Fi ing only nearby or LTE node, core cells.UEs macro network connect cell via Wi-Fi. Vehicle Auto- On for On for OnOn, UE stationary matically communi- devices using attaches turns oncations to inside self- to in- for near- coordinat- vehicle organizingvehicle field or ing only network LTE, local node, core (SON) or tocommuni- network algorithm macro, cations to or to determine accesspower Wi-Fi

Tracking Area Management

In some embodiments, UE location management and tracking area managementmay be enhanced based on knowledge of the current location of the mobilebase station. For example, a mobile base station may have a number ofmobile devices attached to it, and the mobile base station may beconfigured at the core network to provide access to at least one thetracking area. The tracking area may be identified at a mobilitymanagement entity (MME) in an operator core network or at a cloudcoordination server, which may be in the signaling path between theeNodeB and the MME. In this configuration, the location of the attachedmobile devices may be determined using the GPS location of the mobilebase station, in addition to the location linked to the tracking area.

In some embodiments, a mobile base station may be configured based onits location. For example, a mobile base station may report its locationto a core network or a cloud coordination server. The core networkand/or cloud coordination server may additionally report the location ofthe mobile base station to an administrative user at an administrativeconsole. Based on administrative user action or based on a priorconfiguration, and based on the location of the mobile base station, themobile base station may be assigned an appropriate macro cell for mobilewireless backhaul or other purposes.

The mobile base station may also be assigned a tracking area and/or oneor more cells for associating with any UEs that will be attached to themobile base station. The tracking area may be a tracking area code (TAC)or tracking area identity (TAT). A mapping of tracking areas and mobilebase stations may be located at the cloud coordination server, in someembodiments, and a request from the core network for a UE in aparticular tracking area may be directed to the cloud coordinationserver for identification of the specific mobile base station to whichthe UE is attached. In some embodiments, a mobile device may query thecore network and/or cloud coordination server for, and/or may receive,one or more new tracking areas each time it is stopped in a newlocation.

Since the tracking area of the mobile base station is managed at thecloud coordination server, the mobile base station may be reconfiguredwith different tracking areas, and the cloud coordination server mayperform brokering of requests for UEs within different tracking areas toensure that all UEs receive calls. The location of the mobile basestation may be used to assign tracking areas. The location of the mobilebase station may also thus be used to determine the location of a UEattached to the mobile base station. While a tracking area may beassociated with a fixed geographic area and the base stations locatedwithin that area, by virtue of it being mobile, the mobile base stationmay move between multiple tracking areas. This results ininefficiencies, such as excessive TAUs, if the mobile base stationupdates itself and all its attached UEs every time it moves betweentracking areas.

The mobile base station may configure itself based on the receipt ofthis information from the core network or cloud coordination server. Theconfiguration information may include an appropriate power level, anappropriate directionality of broadcast power, a list of neighbors, alist of tracking areas, and/or other information. The administrativeuser may be enabled to see the location of one or more mobile basestations on a map.

In some embodiments, all mobile base stations may be assigned to aspecial macro zone. Using the special macro zone, the location of anyUEs attached to the mobile base stations may be determined preciselyusing the periodically-updated location information of the mobile basestations. This may allow emergency services, e.g., police, ambulance orfire, to send the personnel with greatest proximity to the scene,reducing time from an initial emergency services call to the delivery ofemergency services.

The cloud coordination server may coordinate handovers and mobilitymanagement between multiple tracking areas, or a mobility managemententity (MME) in the core network may coordinate the handovers withbrokering by the cloud coordination server.

Mobile Base Station Configuration

In some embodiments, the mobile base station may turn on, and connect toa cloud coordination server. The cloud coordination server may provideinformation to the mobile base station that may include configurationparameters, such as neighboring Wi-Fi mesh nodes, tracking areas,tracking area locations in GPS coordinates, appropriate transmit powerfor mobile and non-mobile situations, appropriate thresholds fordetecting mobility, auto neighbor relations, physical cell IDs, neighbortables, black/whitelists of mesh nodes or UEs that may or may notattach, and other configuration parameters.

In some embodiments, a mobile base station may be mounted in a trunk ofa vehicle, or in another location that is not physically accessible topassengers of the vehicle. The mobile base station may provide awireless configuration network. The wireless configuration network maybe provided using existing radio interfaces, or dedicated radiointerfaces. For example, either a re-used or a dedicated Wi-Fi networkinterface may be used. A configuration device, such as a tablet computeror smartphone compatible with a type of Wi-Fi or another localizedaccess wireless networking protocol may be enabled to connect to thewireless configuration network. Once connected, the configuration devicemay be used to perform configuration tasks, adjust configurableparameters, monitor status of the mobile base station or the mobile RAN,monitor information about the core network, monitor information aboutother mobile devices and mobile base stations, and/or change informationor initiate tasks and processes for configuration, in some embodiments.The tablet computer or smartphone may provide a convenient way to enablean operator to provide configurability while allowing the mobile basestation to be secured and protected elsewhere in the vehicle. Aconfiguration device may be enabled to use a web-based interface, or acommand-line interface such as a shell or limited shell, in someembodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an in-vehicle base station inoperation, in accordance with some embodiments. In-vehicle base station102 is broadcasting a RAN with coverage area 101, and UE 107 is attachedto it. Backhaul for in-vehicle base station is provided via connection104 to macro cell 105. In-vehicle base station is also communicatingwith coordinating server 106. In-vehicle base station 102 is stationary.

In-vehicle base station 109 has begun moving, and has contracted itscoverage area to coverage area 108, in order to prevent unnecessaryattaches, for example, to prevent UE 107 from attaching to it and thenhaving to immediately detach from it. In-vehicle base station 109 isbackhauled to the same macro cell 105, via connection 110, and is alsoin communication with coordinating node 106. In-vehicle base station 111has stopped moving and has again expanded its coverage area to coveragearea 112. In-vehicle base station 111 is backhauled to the same macrocell 105, via connection 113, and is also in communication withcoordinating node 106.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a tracking area configuration, inaccordance with some embodiments. A vehicle has an in-vehicle basestation 202 broadcasting a small RAN with coverage area 205, with one ormore UEs attached to it. The one or more UEs each have an associatedtracking area, for use when the UEs go into IDLE mode. While in motionalong a highway, in-vehicle base station 202 connects to macro cell 201a, then to macro cell 201 b, then to macro cell 201 c, then to macrocell 201 d. Macro cells 201 a and 20 ab share a single tracking areacode, indicated by tracking area boundary 203. Macro cells 201 c and 201d also share a second tracking area code, indicated by tracking areaboundary 204.

When in-vehicle base station 202 moves from the coverage area of macrocell 201 b to that of cell 201 c, in some embodiments, the in-vehiclebase station itself, which may operate like a UE or using an LTE relayspecification, may take on the tracking area of the new cell, and mayneed to perform a tracking area update. However, it is undesirable forall devices connected to the in-vehicle base station to also perform atracking area update. This is because each tracking area update (TAU) isa relatively heavyweight operation and causes unnecessary signaling loadon the network, involving sending a variety of radio resource controlparameters to the eNodeB, and a context transfer from a first mobilitymanagement entity (MME) to a second MME, etc. If a TAU is required to beperformed for every device attached to the in-vehicle base station atthe same time, the combination of all the required TAUs can negativelyimpact the network, especially if a large vehicle, like a bus, includesa large number of UEs requesting a TAU. Also, this type of TAU merelyresults in another TAU as soon as the moving vehicle exits the area.

Using a single tracking area associated with in-vehicle eNodeB 202,unnecessary TAUs of UEs attached to in-vehicle eNodeB 202 can thereby beavoided.

In some embodiments, the in-vehicle base station itself does not need touse the tracking area of a nearby cell, and uses its own specialtracking area at all times, making a tracking area update unnecessarywhen it moves between backhaul coverage cells.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting an operational method of an in-vehiclebase station, in accordance with some embodiments. At step 301, avehicle is started up in a parking lot, which causes the in-vehicleeNodeB to be started up as well. At step 302, the in-vehicle eNodeBattempts to connect to a cloud server for configuration information,including information about what type of RAN to start up, in someembodiments. At step 303, the in-vehicle eNodeB may be in a stationarystate and may broadcast a RAN at a normal power or high power, meaningsufficient power to cover an area around the vehicle, includingpotentially penetrating into nearby buildings, or providing an accessconnection to a nearby mesh network.

At step 304, when the vehicle begins to move and exceeds a certainthreshold of motion, either based on position, velocity, acceleration,dead reckoning, GPS, or another measure, the base station may identifythat it should enter into another mode of operation. In someembodiments, a vehicle controller area network (CAN) bus may bemonitored to determine when the vehicle is in motion. The in-vehiclebase station may, in some embodiments, automatically stop broadcastingat all, or may reduce its coverage area to only an area sufficient toprovide access to users inside the vehicle, or may reduce transmissionon one or another of its access radios but not the other, in someembodiments. It may be useful, for example, to provide a Wi-Fi-onlywireless access network with coverage area sufficient to cover theinside of a vehicle during vehicle travel, enabling a user to use aWi-Fi-enabled smartphone or tablet, and it may be helpful to enable oneor more passengers to connect to a configuration network or debugnetwork to configure the in-vehicle base station, such as described inU.S. application Ser. No. 14/946,129, hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety for all purposes, even when backhaul is not available.

At step 305, the in-vehicle eNodeB may communicate with the coordinationserver to determine what to do at this stage, as well. Either at thetime the in-vehicle eNodeB begins to move, or stops moving, or while inmotion, the in-vehicle eNodeB may coordinate the RAN with thecoordination server. This may help if there are, for example, othernodes in the area that the eNodeB should avoid interfering with, or ifthere are other nodes in the area (e.g., a fleet of cars) that needcoverage or backhaul, or if there is an area ahead where no backhaulwill be available anyway. In some embodiments, coverage and/ortransmission power may be dynamically changed while the vehicle is inmotion to, for example, avoid interfering with signals along thevehicle's route.

At step 306, when the vehicle is stopped, a new RAN may be created. Insome embodiments, this may be under the direction of the coordinatingnode. In some embodiments, a new tracking area may be entered into. Forexample, an in-vehicle base station may use one tracking area code whenin motion and another tracking area code (such as the tracking area codeof the nearest cell or of a backhaul cell) when not in motion.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting a tracking area sequence of operation,in accordance with some embodiments. At step 401, an in-vehicle eNodeBis assigned a special mobile tracking area by a coordinating node. Thecoordinating node may, in some embodiments, assign all in-vehicle basestations the same mobile tracking area, or different mobile trackingareas. The mobile tracking area may be handled differently for purposesof paging UEs within that tracking area. For example, UEs within themobile tracking area may be assumed to be located within close proximityto a GPS location of the in-vehicle base station itself.

At step 402, the in-vehicle eNodeB provides an access network to certainuser devices and provides the mobile tracking area to those devices. Theuser devices may be UEs, or may be Wi-Fi devices, or may be mobiledevices connected via a trusted Wi-Fi gateway (e.g., a TWAG or ePDG) toa core network via a Wi-Fi access network, in some embodiments. Each ofthese devices is associated in the core network with the mobile trackingarea.

At step 403, the in-vehicle eNodeB may move between different trackingareas for backhaul coverage. As the in-vehicle eNodeB travels, itattaches to different macro cells, for example, for backhaul coverage.These macro cells may be in different operator tracking areas. When thein-vehicle eNodeB moves to a different tracking area, the in-vehicleeNodeB itself may associate with the new tracking area via a trackingarea update (TAU) message sent to the core network; however, UEsattached to the in-vehicle eNodeB need not send a TAU and remain on thespecial mobile tracking area, as shown at step 404.

At step 405, when paging of a UE attached to the in-vehicle eNodeBoccurs, the core network seeks to page the UE by sending a pagingmessage to the tracking area. However, the tracking area includes onlythe in-vehicle eNodeB, which sends a wakeup message to the UE. At step406, if the location of the UE is desired, for example for directingemergency services personnel, the coordinating node may act as a proxyand may query the in-vehicle base station to determine its location,which may then be used as the location of the UE. In some embodiments,all calls from a given tracking area may be known to the coordinatingnode as coming from a mobile base station, and location requests may bedirected from the core network to the coordinating node for locating themobile base station.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an enhanced eNodeB, in accordance withsome embodiments. Enhanced eNodeB 500 may include processor 502,processor memory 504 in communication with the processor, basebandprocessor 506, and baseband processor memory 508 in communication withthe baseband processor. Enhanced eNodeB 500 may also include first radiotransceiver 510, second radio transceiver 512, third radio transceiver514, and fourth radio transceiver 516, in some embodiments. EnhancedeNodeB 500 may also include GPS module 518 and multi-radio accesstechnology (multi-RAT) coordination module 520, in some embodiments,which may be in communication with a coordination server (not shown).

Processor 502 and baseband processor 506 are in communication with oneanother. Processor 502 may perform routing functions, and may determineif/when a switch in network configuration is needed. Baseband processor506 may generate and receive radio signals for both radio transceivers510 and 512, based on instructions from processor 502. In someembodiments, processors 502 and 506 may be on the same physical logicboard. In other embodiments, they may be on separate logic boards.

First radio transceiver 510 may be a radio transceiver capable ofproviding LTE eNodeB access functionality, and may be capable of higherpower and multi-channel OFDMA. The second radio transceiver 512 may be aradio transceiver capable of providing LTE UE functionality, forproviding backhaul for enhanced eNodeB 500. Both transceivers 510 and512 are capable of receiving and transmitting on one or more LTE bands.In some embodiments, either or both of transceivers 510 and 512 may becapable of providing both LTE eNodeB and LTE UE functionality.Transceiver 510 may be coupled to processor 502 via a PeripheralComponent Interconnect-Express (PCI-E) bus, and/or via a daughtercard,and may be connected to a SIM card (not shown) for authenticating to thecore network as a UE. In some embodiments, the mobile base station mayuse direct current (DC) power from the vehicle's battery.

Third radio transceiver 514 may be a radio transceiver capable of Wi-Fiaccess functionality, i.e., acting as a Wi-Fi access point. Fourth radiotransceiver 516 may be a radio transceiver capable of providing Wi-Fimesh capability, which may be point-to-point mesh capability. Either orboth of transceivers 514 and 516 may be able to use IEEE0802.11a/b/g/n/ac/af/ah, or another protocol, and may be able to use 2.4GHz spectrum bands, 5. x GHz spectrum bands, or another spectrum band.Either or both of transceivers 514 and 516 may provide WiGigfunctionality in a gigahertz spectrum band.

Wired backhaul or wireless backhaul may be used. Wired backhaul may bean Ethernet-based backhaul (including Gigabit Ethernet), or afiber-optic backhaul connection, or a cable-based backhaul connection,in some embodiments. Additionally, wireless backhaul may be provided inaddition to wireless transceivers 510, 512, 514, 516, which may be Wi-Fi802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad/ah, Bluetooth, ZigBee, microwave (includingline-of-sight microwave), or another wireless backhaul connection. Anyof the wired and wireless connections may be used for either access orbackhaul, according to identified network conditions and needs, and maybe under the control of processor 502 for reconfiguration.

Other elements and/or modules may also be included, such as a homeeNodeB, a local gateway (LGW), or another module. Additional radioamplifiers, radio transceivers and/or wired network connections may alsobe included.

GPS module 518 may also be provided, and in order to acquire a GPSsignal, it may be connected to a GPS antenna located outside of avehicle, in some embodiments. GPS, GLONASS, AGPS, dead reckoning, or anyother type of location detection apparatus may be used. In someembodiments, sensor fusion may be used to fuse one or more GPS locationsidentified at enhanced eNodeB 500, or to fuse a GPS location acquired bythe vehicle itself or attached UEs within the vehicle, in someembodiments.

Processor 502 may identify the appropriate network configuration, andmay perform routing of packets from one network interface to anotheraccordingly. Processor 502 may use memory 504, in particular to store arouting table to be used for routing packets. Baseband processor 506 mayperform operations to generate the radio frequency signals fortransmission or retransmission by both transceivers 510 and 512.Baseband processor 506 may also perform operations to decode signalsreceived by transceivers 510, 512, 514, 516. Baseband processor 506 mayuse memory 508 to perform these tasks.

In some embodiments, enhanced base station 500 may be embodied in anenclosure with multiple radio frequency (RF) function-containingdaughtercards, the daughtercards located near the periphery of anenclosure, each in individual trays for RF isolation. The trays may beformed all in a single piece with each other, so as to reduce mountinghardware required. Mounting holes may be provided for mounting to avehicle chassis. Standard coaxial cable connection ports may be providedfor connecting to RF antennas exterior to the unit.

In some embodiments, a tablet or other mobile device for configuring andoperating the enhanced base station 500 may be provided with the basestation, and the wireless acces network from base station 500 may beactivated to permit the mobile device to configure base station 500,even when it is mounted in a vehicle trunk or in a location inaccessibleto a passenger while the vehicle is in motion.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a coordinating server, in accordancewith some embodiments. Coordinating server 600 includes processor 602and memory 604, which are configured to provide the functions describedherein. Also present are radio access network coordination/signaling(RAN Coordination and signaling) module 606, RAN proxying module 608,and routing virtualization module 610.

RAN coordination module 606 may include database 606 a, which may storeassociated UE signal quality parameters and location information asdescribed herein. In some embodiments, coordinating server 600 maycoordinate multiple RANs using coordination module 606. If multiple RANsare coordinated, database 606 a may include information from UEs on eachof the multiple RANs.

In some embodiments, coordination server may also provide proxying,routing virtualization and RAN virtualization, via modules 610 and 608.In some embodiments, a downstream network interface 612 is provided forinterfacing with the RANs, which may be a radio interface (e.g., LTE),and an upstream network interface 614 is provided for interfacing withthe core network, which may be either a radio interface (e.g., LTE) or awired interface (e.g., Ethernet). Paging functions may be performed inmodule 606.

Coordinating server 600 includes local evolved packet core (EPC) module620, for authenticating users, storing and caching priority profileinformation, and performing other EPC-dependent functions when nobackhaul link is available. Local EPC 620 may include local HSS 622,local MME 624, local SGW 626, and local PGW 628, as well as othermodules. Local EPC 620 may incorporate these modules as softwaremodules, processes, or containers. Local EPC 620 may alternativelyincorporate these modules as a small number of monolithic softwareprocesses. Modules 606, 608, 610 and local EPC 620 may each run onprocessor 602 or on another processor, or may be located within anotherdevice.

FIG. 7 is a system architecture diagram of an exemplary networkconfiguration, in accordance with some embodiments. Base stations 702and 704 are connected via an S1-AP and an X2 interface to coordinationserver 706. Base stations 702 and 704 are eNodeBs, in some embodiments.Coordination server 706 is connected to the evolved packet core(EPC)/Core Network 708 via an S1 protocol connection and an S1-MMEprotocol connection. Coordination of base stations 702 and 704 may beperformed at the coordination server. In some embodiments, thecoordination server may be located within the EPC/Core Network 708.EPC/Core Network 708 provides various LTE core network functions, suchas authentication, data routing, charging, and other functions. In someembodiments, mobility management is performed both by coordinationserver 706 and within the EPC/Core Network 708. EPC/Core Network 708provides, typically through a PGW functionality, a connection to thepublic Internet 710.

In some embodiments, coordination server 706 may act as an S1 proxy, X2proxy, back-to-back proxy, or other proxy for some or all eNodeBsconnected to it relative to EPC/core network 708. By leveraging itsposition in the network, coordination server 706 may appear to be asingle eNodeB to the network, while managing multiple eNodeBs connectedto it. In some embodiments, coordination server may route X2 messages,handover tunnel data, and other data among its connected base stations,and may perform handovers and other signaling-related procedures amongits connected base stations without the involvement of EPC/core network708.

In some embodiments, the radio transceivers described herein may becompatible with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio transmission protocolor air interface. The LTE-compatible base stations may be eNodeBs. Inaddition to supporting the LTE protocol, the base stations may alsosupport other air interfaces, such as UMTS/HSPA, CDMA/CDMA2000,GSM/EDGE, GPRS, EVDO, other 3G/2G, legacy TDD, or other air interfacesused for mobile telephony. In some embodiments, the base stationsdescribed herein may support Wi-Fi air interfaces, which may include oneor more of IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. In some embodiments, the base stationsdescribed herein may support IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), to LTE transmissionsin unlicensed frequency bands (e.g., LTE-U, Licensed Access or LA-LTE),to LTE transmissions using dynamic spectrum access (DSA), to radiotransceivers for ZigBee, Bluetooth, or other radio frequency protocols,or other air interfaces. In some embodiments, the base stationsdescribed herein may use programmable frequency filters. In someembodiments, the base stations described herein may provide access toland mobile radio (LMR)-associated radio frequency bands. In someembodiments, the base stations described herein may also support morethan one of the above radio frequency protocols, and may also supporttransmit power adjustments for some or all of the radio frequencyprotocols supported. The embodiments disclosed herein can be used with avariety of protocols so long as there are contiguous frequencybands/channels. Although the method described assumes a single-in,single-output (SISO) system, the techniques described can also beextended to multiple-in, multiple-out (MIMO) systems. Wherever IMSI orIMEI are mentioned, other hardware, software, user or group identifiers,can be used in conjunction with the techniques described herein.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that multiple hardware andsoftware configurations could be used depending upon the accessprotocol, backhaul protocol, duplexing scheme, or operating frequencyband by adding or replacing daughtercards to the dynamic multi-RAT node.Presently, there are radio cards that can be used for the varying radioparameters. Accordingly, the multi-RAT nodes of the present inventioncould be designed to contain as many radio cards as desired given theradio parameters of heterogeneous mesh networks within which themulti-RAT node is likely to operate. Those of skill in the art willrecognize that, to the extent an off-the shelf radio card is notavailable to accomplish transmission/reception in a particular radioparameter, a radio card capable of performing, e.g., in white spacefrequencies, would not be difficult to design.

Those of skill in the art will also recognize that hardware may embodysoftware, software may be stored in hardware as firmware, and variousmodules and/or functions may be performed or provided either as hardwareor software depending on the specific needs of a particular embodiment.

In the present disclosure, the words location and position may be usedin various instances to have the same meaning, as is common in therelevant art.

Although the scenarios for interference mitigation are described inrelation to macro cells and micro cells, or for a pair of small cells orpair of macro cells, the same techniques could be used for reducinginterference between any two cells, in which a set of cells is requiredto perform the CoMP methods described herein. The applicability of theabove techniques to one-sided deployments makes them particularlysuitable for heterogeneous networks, including heterogeneous meshnetworks, in which all network nodes are not identically provisioned.

In any of the scenarios described herein, where processing may beperformed at the cell, the processing may also be performed incoordination with a cloud coordination server. The eNodeB may be incommunication with the cloud coordination server via an X2 protocolconnection, or another connection. The eNodeB may perform inter-cellcoordination via the cloud communication server, when other cells are incommunication with the cloud coordination server. The eNodeB maycommunicate with the cloud coordination server to determine whether theUE has the ability to support a handover to Wi-Fi, e.g., in aheterogeneous network.

Although the methods above are described as separate embodiments, one ofskill in the art would understand that it would be possible anddesirable to combine several of the above methods into a singleembodiment, or to combine disparate methods into a single embodiment.For example, all of the above methods could be combined. In thescenarios where multiple embodiments are described, the methods could becombined in sequential order, in various orders as necessary.

Although the above systems and methods for providing interferencemitigation are described in reference to the Long Term Evolution (LTE)standard, one of skill in the art would understand that these systemsand methods could be adapted for use with other wireless standards orversions thereof. For example, certain methods involving the use of avirtual cell ID are understood to require UEs supporting 3GPP Release11, whereas other methods and aspects do not require 3GPP Release 11.

In some embodiments, the software needed for implementing the methodsand procedures described herein may be implemented in a high levelprocedural or an object-oriented language such as C, C++, C#, Python,Java, or Perl. The software may also be implemented in assembly languageif desired. Packet processing implemented in a network device caninclude any processing determined by the context. For example, packetprocessing may involve high-level data link control (HDLC) framing,header compression, and/or encryption. In some embodiments, softwarethat, when executed, causes a device to perform the methods describedherein may be stored on a computer-readable medium such as read-onlymemory (ROM), programmable-read-only memory (PROM), electricallyerasable programmable-read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, or amagnetic disk that is readable by a general or specialpurpose-processing unit to perform the processes described in thisdocument. The processors can include any microprocessor (single ormultiple core), system on chip (SoC), microcontroller, digital signalprocessor (DSP), graphics processing unit (GPU), or any other integratedcircuit capable of processing instructions such as an x86microprocessor.

Although the present disclosure has been described and illustrated inthe foregoing example embodiments, it is understood that the presentdisclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerouschanges in the details of implementation of the disclosure may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, which islimited only by the claims which follow. Various components in thedevices described herein may be added, removed, or substituted withthose having the same or similar functionality. Various steps asdescribed in the figures and specification may be added or removed fromthe processes described herein, and the steps described may be performedin an alternative order, consistent with the spirit of the invention.Features of one embodiment may be used in another embodiment. Otherembodiments are within the following claims. For example, an in-vehiclebase station may be configured to coordinate its tracking area inconjunction with other in-vehicle base stations.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: at a processor configured to provide a cellular base station functionality, the processor being part of a mobile base station, the processor coupled to a first access radio for providing a cellular access network inside and outside a vehicle, the processor further coupled to a first cellular backhaul radio for providing a backhaul connection to a cellular network via a cell, the processor further coupled to a global positioning system (GPS) module for determining a location of the mobile base station: permitting a mobile device to attach to the mobile base station; attaching, at the mobile base station, to a macro cell for providing backhaul to the mobile device using the mobile base station for access; receiving a first tracking area code from the macro cell; transmitting a second tracking area code to the mobile device, the second tracking area code corresponding to a tracking area managed by a coordinating node; detecting, at the mobile base station, a transition from a stationary state to a moving state of the mobile base station; and sending a tracking area update message to a core network to transition to the tracking area managed by the coordinating node, thereby avoiding unnecessary tracking area updates for the mobile device.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing paging of the mobile device using the second tracking area code.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the location of the mobile base station using the GPS module, and sending the location to the coordinating node.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a location of the mobile device based on the location of the mobile base station.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising coordinating, using a self-organizing network (SON) algorithm, a handover between multiple tracking areas.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a tracking area of the mobile base station at a mobility management entity (MME).
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a tracking area of the mobile device at the coordinating node, the coordinating node being situated between the mobile base station and a mobility management entity (MME).
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a tracking area of the mobile device at a mobility management entity (MME) using the location of the mobile base station.
 9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: permit a mobile device to attach to the mobile base station; attach at the mobile base station, to a macro cell for providing backhaul to the mobile device using the mobile base station for access; receive a first tracking area code from the macro cell; transmit a second tracking area code to the mobile device, the second tracking area code corresponding to a tracking area managed by a coordinating node; detect at the mobile base station, a transition from a stationary state to a moving state of the mobile base station; and send a tracking area update message to a core network to transition to the tracking area managed by the coordinating node, thereby avoiding unnecessary tracking area updates for the mobile device.
 10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform paging of the mobile device using the second tracking area code.
 11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to detect the location of the mobile base station using the GPS module, and send the location to the coordinating node.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to detect the location of the mobile device based on the location of the mobile base station.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to coordinate using a self-organizing network (SON) algorithm, a handover between multiple tracking areas.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to update the tracking area of the mobile base station at a mobility management entity (MME).
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to update the tracking area of the mobile device at the coordinating node, the coordinating node being situated between the mobile base station and a mobility management entity (MME).
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to update the tracking area of the mobile device at a mobility management entity (MME) using the location of the mobile base station. 